PV BALLE has again organized our Annual Think Local First Contest, for the 4th year in a row!! The whole idea of this contest is to encourage people from through out the Pioneer Valley to shop with the many great local, independent businesses here in the Pioneer Valley. Support local shops, farms, and other independent businesses and qualify to win great prizes! 94 local businesses have donated more than 130 gift certificates valued at over $3,800.

By shopping locally, the presents you buy for your friends and loved ones turn out to be gifts for your community as well. According to the results of the Andersonville Study, when you shop with a locally owned business 58% more money stays in your local economy than when you shop at a national chain store. Secondly, local non-profit groups on average receive 350% more money from locally owned stores than from their non-local counter-parts. With all of these benefits and a chance to win fabulous prize packages worth hundreds of dollars, it only make sense this Christmas/Holiday Season to Think Local First.

Many thanks to the ninety four locally owned, independent businesses that have donated a great selection of gift certificates. We also want to extend our deep appreciation to Big Y World Class Market for once again being a Major Contest Sponsor and Alternative Recycling Systems, Florence Savings Bank, and Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) for being Supporting Sponsors. Please patronize all of these locally owned businesses that are so integral to our community and for making this contest possible every year! Thank you also to Northampton Fair Trade and their Buy Local, Buy Fair Campaign for helping to promote and organize this contest. A great thank you to the Valley Advocate for generously promoting our Think Local First Contest again this year; they have done a terrific job year after year helping to promote the importance of shopping locally and caring for our environment as well. A big thanks to our local Chambers of Commerce for their assistance in distributing flyers to their members and to Radwell Communication by Design for once again providing the beautiful design work for all our posters. Thank you as well to Jill Connolly, Kelsey Flynn, and Shel Horowitz for doing PSAs for people to hear about the contest over the radio. Last, but definitely not least, thank you to the New England Grass Roots Environment Fund (NEGEF) for a $1,000 grant they awarded us to help make this contest happen and thereby benefit our local, living economy.

AWARD CEREMONY

Prize Give Away for the 4th Annual Think Local First Contest